Showing posts with label OPI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OPI. Show all posts

Nail Art: Blue Hoo

Please don't hate me. I am struggling with a lot of things lately and it seems like everything is on a downward spiral. But the thing is, my passion to do my nails has a lot to do with the way I feel. A dampened spirit is not such a good motivation for some personal nail art session. Fortunately, I was going to a meeting as a nail art blogger and I didn't want my nails to be bare. And as I uploaded the photos, I realized that I did another blue themed design very similar to the last one I shared. When you are blue, it is inevitable to unconsciously wear blue?

Here it is:

Blue Hoo Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: (OPI) Fifty Shades of Grey

The movie Fifty Shades of Grey is now showing here in my part of the world and I am quite sure that a lot of people have been anticipating its release. OPI came out with a nail polish collection for the movie comprising of 6 shades, 5 of which are greys and a red one to represent passion. Of course, there's a mini polishes box set as well that includes all the colors from the collection.

OPI Fifty Shades of Grey

Nail Art: Accidental Love

In 3 weeks, the whole world will be celebrating Valentine's Day. I am secretly a big fan. Receiving flowers always make my heart skip a beat. I can't remember the last time I got flowers, but I can remember the last time I adorn my nails with florals and hearts to celebrate the day of hearts. I still don't know what Valentine's nail art I'll be actually wearing on the 14th of February. But perhaps I can start sharing with you a few ideas and hopefully you'll get some inspiration for your nails.

Take a look at this:

Accidental Love Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Christmas Wrapper

It's 12 days before Christmas and I am slacking on my holiday inspired nail art designs. Crazy things have been happening lately and well, I'm spending a lot of my time with Floozie (my cat) and her 4 kittens which are all growing too fast! And then of course, there was the storm that hit my country last week and the weather was gloomy for several days. But the sun is up, I've got my mood back, and finally had time to do my nails!

This Christmas nail art was inspired by a simple concept -- gift wrappers. I wanted my nails to look as if it was wrapped. I also wanted something easy to paint. In the end, I loved how it turned out and I'm hoping that you'll like it too. Take a look:

Christmas Wrapper Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Merry Go Yellow (5th Blog Anniversary)

I have no legit excuse for my absence of almost 2 weeks except that I was uninspired. It's like having a writer's block and you don't know what to do. Well, until a night ago when I got an idea for a nail art. But before anything else, I'd like to say that November 2014 marks the 5th year anniversary of my blog! I can't believe that it has been that long already. Although I started blogging in 2009, my nail art posts only began mid of the following year. Regardless, I am thankful to all of you who have supported me and for all the blessings this blog have received.

To celebrate, I wanted something bright on my nails. I wanted yellow. And after a few hours of simultaneously watching a movie on my laptop and doing my nails, this nail design came to be:

Merry Go Yellow Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Peeping Black Cat

The final installment to my Halloween 2014 nail art series is somewhat personal ... again. As you have read in my previous posts, I am a recent furparent to a sweet cat named Floozie and her 4 adorable furbabies. So yes, this is another cat inspired Halloween nail art design. But this time, I would like to advocate the safety of cats, particularly black cats during this season of superstitious beliefs.

We all know that black cats is associated with bad luck and during Halloween there are (heartless) people who find it amusing to hunt and hurt cats. Experiencing first hand how wonderful cats are, I would like to contribute to the campaign through this nail art post and hopefully help spread the word to help safeguard cats during this superstitious time by keeping them indoors or simply by spreading the word.

Here's the nail art:

Peeping Black Cat Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: (for) Breast Cancer Awareness 2014

October is here and it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Every year, I post a pink manicure in support of this campaign. So I am taking a short break from my 2014 Halloween series to share with you a nail art for Breast Cancer Awareness inspired by the color pink, the official color of this project.

This nail design is nothing new. It is a recreation of my Blue Waves I did on 2012 and just changed the color theme. I have been meaning to redo this design and finally found the perfect time to do so.

Here it is:

Nail Art for Breast Cancer Awareness (October 2014) by Simply Rins

Nail Artist Feature: The Nailinator

In my part of the world, nail art bloggers are almost rare. So when I knew about Rachael, a fellow nail artist here in the Philippines, I couldn't (really) wait to meet her. So came that fateful day that we had a girls night out in her hometown, Cebu City. Before our meeting, I was excited and scared at the same time even though we have chatted a few times already. But then the moment we finally met, I realized I just got scared for nothing. She was not only pretty, she was super friendly as well. We became friends almost instantly. It's so easy to open up to this wonderful person.

I invited her to guest post here at Simply Rins because I think her nail art is amazing. I'll let her take over from here. :)

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Hello everyone!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be guest posting here on Rina's blog! My name is Rachael (also known as The Nailinator) and I am a nail art addict. When I first got into nail art a few years ago, I searched for other Philippine-based nail blogs and Simply Rins was the first one I ever found. I spent a long while oohing and aahing over Rina's designs, and I've been a big fan ever since. I've even had the pleasure of meeting her in person and I'm an even bigger fan now. She is such a sweet soul. She's got some amazing skills and creativity, and I'm honored that she asked me to share a little something with you all today!

The weather has been so gloomy here lately, and I've been in such a gloomy mood, so I decided I needed something bright and fun on my nails STAT! Here's what I came up with:

Nail Art: Can't Get Enough of Lavender

I know a friend who doesn't like any shades of purple. But I also know a friend who loves purple. But this freehand nail art is not really purple. It's lavender. I wanted to try a subtle manicure like this and I think it's perfect for people who doesn't really enjoy getting so much attention on their nails with nail art. In person, you really can't see there is a design from a distance. But there is a surprise up close. Well, isn't nail art for yourself than it is for others?

Take a look:

Can't Get Enough of Lavender Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Night-y Night

I've done nail art designs that I am not so proud of mainly because I didn't get the results that I expected. This is one of those. More on that later.

I have been wanting to create a night scene inspired nail art for quite a long time and finally decided to do one. I figured it was one design that I "needed" to do because I consider myself a nocturnal person. I am most productive at night. If I had my way, I will always do nail art in the evening or should I say, in the wee hours of the morning?

So without further ado:

Night-y Night Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art Tutorial: Splash of Colors

Grey would be the color of my life right now. But my nails shouldn't be. I need color, and more colors. So for my comeback nail art, I splashed (well, painted actually) colors on my nails and chose a bright color for base. I also changed the shape of my nails to round. I just needed something different. I actually liked it. I was able to grow my nails longer than I normally can with a squoval shape. Let's see how long I can maintain it.

Back to the design, take a peek first:

Splash of Colors Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Teal-y Flowers

Hello!

Okay, I know that I have been gone quite a long time. And before anything else, I'd like to say thank you for all those who sent me messages to find out how I am. I miss all of you and I really appreciate that you have been keeping in touch.

Life got a little busy and I'm having less time to do my nails. I have been traveling, too! And unfortunately, no amount of sunscreen prevented my now darker skintone that is now evident in the photos below. But hey, there is something that haven't change -- my love for nail art. I will continue to do this as long as I can. ;)

So, what am I sharing today? Well, it's a simple floral nail art design that you can wear for spring or actually, on any season. I already know what polish I wanted to use for base so I went with that first and hoped that I'll be able to come up with a nail art idea once I'm done polishing my nails. I needed something easy to do that doesn't require so much precision in painting. And this is what I came up with:

Teal-y Flowers Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: Washed Out Rainbow

I really wanted to do more nail art. But I have been suffering from a nasty and persistent cough for almost 3 weeks now. However, I was going back to the beach and I just can't go with bare nails. So I did my nails, enduring the occasional coughs. My mood was terrible, but my spirits were high. I didn't need to struggle for an idea. I needed a rainbow nail art to cheer me up ... and, to accompany me to the beach.

Before anything else, here's how it turned out:

Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

There's a lot of rainbow nail designs done by several nail art bloggers/artists. Using stripes is probably one of the most popular technique used. I decided to do the same. I didn't want to worry about precised lines so I figured I'd use the dubbing method to paint the design.

I used a flat angled nail art brush for this freehand rainbow nail art instead of a striping brush. If you'd like to have defined lines, you're better off with the latter.

Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art (freehand)

OPI Alpine Snow was my choice of white base nail polish. I used 2 coats. And I painted the design with acrylic paints. I followed the ROYGBIV pattern for the color sequence and decided to start near the cuticle area and finish at the tips. This is one nail design that fully covers the nails.

This is fairly easy to do, even with a non-dominant hand. But as I finished doing the nail on my pinky finger (I do one nail first to see the result), I felt I needed to add something more. I thought that a washed out or faded look would look good. So after painting the rainbow stripes, I lightly brushed a very thin/watery white acrylic paint over the entire design. It was an experiment that worked. I got that washed out look I wanted.

Here's a close-up:

Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art (close-up)

The washed out effect will depend on how thin the white paint is. All I did was water down the paint on my palette, pick it up on the angled brush and lightly stroke it on the design. I didn't have time to do a video tutorial on this, but I really wanted to.

I still like the look even if the added white layer made the colors less bright. The best thing is, it really looked attractive when under the sun. It was the perfect beach companion and mood changer! Everytime I looked at my nails, I tell myself that I did this regardless if my cough interrupted me while I paint. Then I'd (weirdly) tell my cough that he can't make me stop doing nail art and it makes me feel good. How silly did that sound? :)

Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art Design

Oh, and I added a few random dots before sealing the nail design with top coat. I have no other reason why I did it except that I thought it would make the nail art more interesting. Sort of like an addition to the faded effect? It make look awkward to some, but I loved it.

Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art

I'm enjoying the summer here in the Philippines by traveling to amazing beaches. And I'd make sure to decorate my nails so they could share my enjoyment.

Have you done a rainbow nail art? What twist did you add to personalize it?

Please share with me your thoughts. Is this Washed Out Rainbow Nail Art a thumbs up?

Nail Art: Monster University

It has been quite awhile since I did some cartoon nail art design. But since Monsters University is now showing in the theaters, I thought it was a good excuse for me to do some cartooning on my nails.

Let me tell you this early that I am not so proud of how this mani turned out as a whole. But I love how my version of Mike Wazowski turned out. I think I might have painted James P. Sullivan like a pig of sort? Regardless of the results, I chose not to watch the movie without appropriate nail art!

Please be kind to this:

Monsters University Nail Art Design

Nail Art: Purple Bricks

I was having an early dinner last weekend when I received a text message from a friend who asked me how I was. I wanted to reply that I was feeling lonely but said I was fine instead. I've realized that no matter how used I am to being alone, one can sometimes be a lonely number. And even though I have met some that showed interest, I can't seem to bring down the wall I have put up. Can I blame the number of times I've been broken?


My best friend these days has been unavailable so I decided to channel my feelings the best way I know how -- through nail art.


Wall was the idea. The question is how I'd be able to convey that in a nail design. I figured a brick wall inspired design would do the job. The concept is not original as there have been several nail art bloggers who have done their version of the bricks nails. So in order to put some personal flair into this design, I decided to use a purple palette and alter the brick placements.

I simply called this Purple Bricks Nail Art Design. Take a look:

Purple Bricks Nail Art Design

Nail Art: Little Things

Have you ever had that feeling of having too many ideas that you can't decide on what do first? Well, this what happened when I was trying to make up my mind on what nail art I wanted to do.

Patterns was the direction I wanted to take. Floral pattern? Geometric maybe? Play with shapes or dots? After awhile, I started doodling and hoped that it would help with the decision. It did! Since I couldn't decide on one particular pattern, I decided to use all the little ideas to create a nail design. Hence, the title -- Little Things!

Behold, the results:

Little Things Nail Art Design

OPI Can't Let Go (Liquid Sand)

If you don't like texture on your nails, you may like OPI's liquid sand from the Mariah Carey Collection. It was launched for spring 2013. I've seen a lot of nail bloggers' review on this collection and it got me curious. I hope I could share with you all the colors from the entire set but I decided to feature one color -- OPI Can't Let Go Liquid Sand.

Aside from texture, OPI Liquid Sand line was intended to be worn without top coat and dries glittered matte.

Here is OPI Can't Let Go without top coat:

OPI Can't Let Go (Liquid Sand)

Nail Art: A Closer Look on Flowers

Forgive me if I haven't been doing nail art for quite awhile. If you are already following the Simply Rins Facebook Page, you might remember one of my status messages wherein I said one of my nails broke really bad. It broke on the side, almost at the middle while I was fixing the zipper of my luggage. I was forced to cut it really short until the tear reaches the nail tip. Then, I had to wait for it to grow back to a decent length before I do some nail painting.

The length and shape is not yet how I'd like them but that's one of the good things about nail art. You can actually create a design that could camouflage or enhance the shape of your nails!

I decided on a simple floral design that is bold and feminine at the same time. I named this nail design, A Closer Look on Flowers because it is as if you're magnifying a flower on your nails. Hopefully, I have achieved my goal.

A Closer Look at Flowers Nail Art Design by Simply Rins
A Closer Look at Flowers Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

Nail Art: (for) Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a yearly campaign that happens all around the world to help increase awareness about this sickness.

More people are being diagnosed with breast cancer every year. But because of the campaign, there are also more people surviving it. And being able to detect the cancer at a very early stage is very helpful. We are also reminded that even though knowledge is power, it is equally important to have a plan in action or what measures to take to overcome this illness.

I'd like to contribute to this campaign by posting 2 nail art ideas I came up with for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Here's the first one:

Pink Ribbon and Flowers
Nail Art for Breast Cancer Awareness
using Dazzle Dry Heart on Fire

The Weeks That Went By

It has been weeks since I've last blogged and polished my nails. August has not been kind. My personal life was a mess and worse, some cities here in the Philippines were under the state of calamity due to continuous heavy rains. Where I live were one of the cities that was greatly affected. The area were our house stood did not get flooded but for almost a week, we didn't have electricity and water supply. Until now, we are still suffering the consequences of a very bad weather and we could only hope and pray for better days to come.

But amid a personally dampened spirit and the rains, there were good things that actually made me smile...
  • Simply Rins is now PR4! I don't know how but I'm happy of what this blog has accomplished. Thank you to everyone who supports, believes, and shares this nail art blog.
  • Dazzle Dry is now in the Philippines and it's amazing how easily I got along with the lady that made it possible. This awesome product was demonstrated to me and I finally got a set that I could personally try. More on this on my review post.
  • I bought a new mobile phone after months of trying to figure out what model to get.
  • And finally ... I started a new collection! Allow me to discuss about this more.

I never really considered myself a nail polish collector even if I know that I buy polishes often. But recently, I found myself enticed with OPI minis. Here's the story:

Last month, my sister went on a vacation and I asked her to buy me an OPI nail lacquer from the Minnie Mouse collection. Due to her hectic schedule, she asked a friend to buy the polish for her and I was more than thankful that it happened because I received the OPI Minnie Minis Collection instead of that one bottle I requested.

OPI Minnie Minis Collection
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